Ministers plan to introduce a certification model to assess standards for education technology products to help schools choose safe tools for the classroom. The Department for Education will consult on an ed tech certification scheme, but it is unclear when this would be put in place if it goes ahead, or what the specific standards would be. It comes after a government-funded “ed tech evidence board” pilot found there was a “persistent challenge” for schools to understand which products would meet their needs. Skills minister Jacqui Smith previously said the DfE would “consult on a certification scheme” for ed tech products “including generative AI and filtering and monitoring products”, in response to a Parliamentary written question. Jacqui Smith The scheme would “give schools clearer assurance about safety when considering products for use in classrooms”, Smith added. “The certification scheme will build on existing digital and technology standards for schools, including the generative AI product safety standards, creating a robust model that can adapt as technology evolves.” Schools Week asked the DfE for more detail on why it is introducing the certification model, but received no answers. It is also not clear whether it would be compulsory for ed tech providers to have the certification to supply to schools, or whether it would be there for schools to refer to when choosing a product. The British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) held a member roundtable with DfE officials at the end of last month to discuss how the model would work and for suppliers to share feedback. A spokesperson for BESA said it “supports the DfE’s ambition to champion quality ed tech products and services” “We are keen to work with the department to ensure that any certification process and model is developed in a way that helps schools and colleges make sound evidence-based procurement decisions, at the same time as ensuring that government intervention does not stifle the UK’s world leading ed tech content and digital publishing sector.” Code of practice The government is also working on secondary legislation that will require the Information Commissioner’s Office to produce a new statutory code of practice on ed tech. An ICO spokesperson said they were “engaging with the Department for Education and devolved authorities on their work with schools to help improve how children’s personal information is handled in educational settings”. It added that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) was still developing details of a separate ed tech code, as well as how it relates to the ed tech certification scheme and another AI and automated decision-making code. It comes after the ICO carried out 28 audits of unnamed ed tech providers. It found nearly three quarters of them could not prove their additional use of children’s data was fair, and that many of them did not tell schools this information was being used in written contracts. The ed tech evidence board’s pilot also showed evidence providers gave about the impact of their products was “fragmented” and often not well-aligned with claims made about their effectiveness. It said schools should take a “critical approach” when examining claims made by products. The DfE is investing £24 million in the four-year-long ed tech testbed programme, which aims to build a “rapid and robust” evidence base on the impact of ed tech, with schools and colleges invited to take part this year. And a “ed tech testbed network” will be set up, consisting of educators, researchers, policymakers and providers.